Catching the bus should soon be a lot easier for people in Allegheny County, thanks to a new web-based system that can track where Port Authority buses are in real time.

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"Going back for a number of years, it's probably the No. 1 request that we've had," said Scott Vetere, director of service planning and scheduling.

The website basically uses a GPS to track the buses and constantly update a chart that shows their estimated arrival time at a particular stop. Users can also view a map showing where all buses are currently positioned on the route.

The system was activated Wednesday for the P1 East Busway route. The Port Authority plans to expand it to all buses after their initial testing period with the P1.

"I think it's great," said Chitra Rajagopalan, a student who rides the bus to Carnegie Mellon University. "It's going to save me a lot of time and not spend any extra time waiting around for the bus."

Officials hope to expand the real-time tracking to other bus routes at the beginning of 2014, and have almost the entire bus system covered by 2015. There are also plans to set up a similar system for light rail.

The tracking program is costing the Port Authority more than $3 million, but Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald believes it's worth the money. He thinks it will help increase ridership and bring in more revenue, especially in the winter when people don't want to stand outside in cold weather.

"This way, you can be in the warm, checking out your phone, saying, 'That bus isn't going to be there for another 20 minutes, I'm going to stay in here where it's warm,'" Fitzgerald said.

Currently, riders can track P1 buses through a website link at www.portauthority.org. Eventually, the Port Authority also wants to have an iPhone and Android app for smartphones.